FIU’s Top Scholars from Across the Disciplines Honored
On Tuesday, March 31, at the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Home located on the University Park Campus, FIU President Modesto A. Maidique recognized FIU faculty members from a breadth of disciplines for their outstanding achievements in research and scholarship.
More than two dozen distinguished members of the FIU academic community - world-class scientists and researchers, authors, and scholars - were recognized for their accomplishments.
“On this occasion, we celebrate the achievements of a diverse community of scholars whose remarkable work inspires both students and peers and extends the academic excellence of FIU,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Ronald M. Berkman.
The following faculty members from the College of Engineering and Computing were recognized this year.
Girma Bitsuamlak, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, won the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award for his proposal of a project that will use computer simulation to determine wind flow around buildings. This five-year study will explore the effects of high impact wind speeds on buildings and structures. Dr. Bitsuamlak’s goal is to achieve a better understanding of complex hurricane/structure interactions and contribute to the design of more hurricane-resilient structures.
Jiuhua Chen, Graduate Program Director and Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for his project, which is part of the President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to accelerate the research and development of technologies needed to support hydrogen-powered fuel cells for use in transportation and electricity generation. Dr. Chen’s project focuses on testing materials which can store hydrogen with a higher volumetric density than liquid hydrogen for potential use as fuel for vehicles. His research will help to foster energy independence for the United States by providing an alternative energy source to gasoline and foreign oil.
Wonbong Choi, Associate Professor and Director of Nanomaterials & Device Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, was named a Fellow of the Materials Research Society (MRS). The title of MRS Fellow honors members of the organization for their research accomplishments and outstanding contributions to the advancement of materials research.
Arindam Chowdhury, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is conducting an NSF-funded study that centers on testing full-scale structures engulfed in simulated hurricane flows, leading to performance-based design for hurricanes through direct correlation of wind speed with performance and damage levels. Dr. Chowdhury’s work is creating a scientific basis for developing risk-based and performance-based design criteria, and will ultimately help to create more sustainable coastal communities around the country.
Anuradha Godavarty, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, received funding from the National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute) and the Florida Department of Health for her research efforts focused on breast imaging. Hand-held based optical imagers, which are portable, relatively inexpensive, and applicable to any tissue volume, are feasible and affordable for most patients. There is no risk to patients, since the optical imaging technology is not radiative or invasive, in contrast to widely used x-ray mammography and nuclear-based imaging techniques. However, none of the hand-held optical imagers to date can perform three-dimensional tumor detection studies. Dr. Godavarty led a team that has developed the first hand-held optical device capable of 3-D tumor detection. This technology, when used in conjunction with standard diagnostic imaging tools, can eventually save lives and improve the early-stage diagnosis of breast cancer, which currently strikes 1 in 8 women in the United States.
Dwayne McDaniel, Senior Research Scientist at the Applied Research Center, won an award from the Army Research Office of the Department of Defense for his project, which will address research and educational needs in the composite field of engineering design. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of composite materials in engineering design for the aircraft and defense industries. Dr. McDaniel will train engineers to meet new technological demands by forging a collaboration between the Applied Research Center (ARC) and the Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department. He will expand existing projects from ARC and the Mechanical Engineering Department and conduct research in two distinct areas of composites: carbon nanotubes (CNTs) used to fabricate CNT-ceramic composites for thermal management applications; and bonding testing for contaminated composite surfaces.
Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, directed the NSF-funded Biocomplexity and NASA-funded WaterSCAPES projects. Focusing on research and education activities in the field and the lab, and from space, Dr. Miralles-Wilhelm and his team examined the interaction between water and vegetation changes in wetlands, and analyzed the influence of changes on global water cycling and biodiversity. He conducted this research on two wetlands ecosystems: the Everglades in South Florida, and in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico.
